Manhattan and Cumbria - they have so much in common the Gnome has to tell you about it...

Monday, April 2

Train Toilet Tends Towards Taste Tragedy

On the Amtrak train between Philadelphia and NYC, the Gnome was caught short. There was little alternative but to pay a visit to the train’s toilet, a journey that even in one’s own country is not exactly to be welcomed with open arms, but in another country, even one as evidently civilised as the USA, must be faced with not a little trepidation.

As it happened, all was well with the general cleanliness and despite not having an electronic hand dryer which I could take a photo of to bore you all, the whole experience was perfectly pleasant. Apart from the décor.

You wouldn’t think there would be much to do for a train toilet interior designer. It is not generally an area noted for its flamboyant use of colour and design. Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen is not noted for his conversion of the humble lavatory into a feast of Louis XIII decadence, complete with heavy velvet drapes and ormolu clocks.

With this toilet though there had been just such an attempt. Recreating a pattern not seen since the Gnome last wore pajamas at the tender age of eight, the walls were wallpapered in a psychedelic maroon and purple paisley pattern that assaulted the eye.